IDG Connect's survey data suggests a shift is afoot in the global market for tablets

Apple's iPad may still be considered the king of tablets in many quarters, but new research data casts a shadow of doubt over how long that will continue.

In fact, a full 44 percent of first-time tablet buyers in business and IT plan to purchase an Android device in the upcoming 12 months, compared with just 27 percent planning to go with an iPad, according to a new study from IDG Connect (IDG Connect is part of IDG, which owns PCWorld.com).

"The rise in tablet usage and increasing prevalence of BYOD is set to have a fundamental impact on IT and business over the next few years,” said Kathryn Cave, editor at IDG Connect, in a press release announcing the results. “These findings signify changes in work mobile consumption and market leadership in the tablet arena.”

Only 3 percent opt for Windows 8

To conduct its research, IDG Connect recently surveyed 3,124 IT and business professionals around the globe.

Seventy-one percent of respondents said they already own a tablet, and 51 percent of those reported having an iPad, IDG Connect reported.

For future purchases, though, Android was clearly the preferred choice, with 44 percent of respondents saying they'd choose a device that uses the Linux-based operating system. Only three percent of respondents said they'd opt for Windows 8, and 21 percent said they weren't sure.

Global variations

The research results are even more interesting when broken down geographically.

In Africa, for instance, 44 percent indicated they'd choose an Android tablet, compared with only 21 percent planning to buy an iPad. Similarly, in Europe, only 23 percent of new buyers said they plan to buy an iPad, compared with a full 49 percent who have set their sights on an Android tablet.

Those in North America and Australia/New Zealand, interestingly, showed the lowest preference for Android tablets, with only 30 percent of North American buyers and 35 percent of those in Australia/New Zealand choosing them over iPad.

This story, "IDC: Android tablets will soon beat out iPad in business and IT" was originally published by
PCWorld.

Katherine Noyes has been an ardent geek ever since she first conquered Pyramid of Doom on an ancient TRS-80. Today she covers enterprise software in all its forms, with an emphasis on Linux and open source software.